Diamond in the Rough
by itsvegebulsoup
Summary: Bulma gets into some trouble with a mysterious stranger in the marketplace of the Vegetasei capitol. Vegetasei AU. Aladdin vibes. M for language.
1. Chapter 1

Bulma was fuming, no she was outraged. "Yesterday, you said 5,000 credits!" she screamed as another bead of sweat slid down her back. It was high noon on the desert planet of Vegetasei, and it was swelteringly hot. Bulma wore a cropped tank top and her mechanic coveralls, half unzipped with the long sleeves tied around her slender waist. The Capsule Corporation logo printed proudly on both shoulders, not that it meant anything to anyone here.

"Well, today I'm saying 8,000 credits," the merchant sassed, a slimy, victorious smile playing at his mouth. Bulma used the back of her hand to swipe the loose hairs that escaped her ponytail away from her narrowing eyes. "Look here, mister. I really need this part but I'm only willing to pay the price you told me yesterday."

"That's too bad, someone came to me this morning also expressing interest in this very part, and so now the price has gone up. Its call supply and demand, honey," the merchant replied condescendingly. The blue haired mechanic growled, "I don't believe you!"

A smirk slid across the lips of a young Prince Vegeta as he observed the scene. The prince had ditched his diplomacy lessons and royal guard before he died of boredom. He wandered into the market of the capitol city of Vegetasei, in a cloak to hide his identity in search of his sparring partner, the strong — but third class — warrior, Kakarot. Then among a sea of faceless strangers, in a scene that seemed to only be colored in shades of brown and red he spotted this little blue firecracker.

He found himself amused that someone with such a low power level had that audacity to scream at this merchant the way that she did. He observed her for several moments longer than he intended. It wasn't uncommon for off worlders to take up residence in Vegetasei, but he had never seen one quite like this. She could almost pass as Saiyan if it weren't for her incredibly peculiar coloring.

"You're a fucking cheapskate!" the blue haired mechanic yelled, catching the attention of more than a few passersby. ' _She even has the fiery spirit of a Saiyan,_ ' Vegeta mused while he leaned inconspicuously against a nearby post with his arms crossed and continued to watch their exchange grow even more heated.

The merchant was growing more annoyed by the minute, he raised his hand to strike the insolent woman when his arm was caught in a brutal death grip. All three stood in silence for a moment in shock. Bulma's blue eyes were wide as she stared at her hooded hero with admiration, the merchant's eyes equally wide but conveying absolute fear, as he broke the silence with a whimper of pain.

Prince Vegeta stared at his own hand as he gripped the arm of the merchant, shocked by his own actions. He moved over there in a flash, acting on pure instinct when he saw this man was about to harm the girl. _But why did he even care?_ He released his grip on the bothersome merchant, before he growled, "we're taking this part."

"Like I told the girl, its 8,000 credits," he replied, much more timid than before. Vegeta lunged at him and the merchant fearfully jumped back and fell onto his bottom. "Ok! Fine! Take it!" he said while quivering. Vegeta grabbed the part in question in one hand and the blue haired woman with the other and walked away from the stall.

Bulma was still trying to make sense of what just happened, before she realized this stranger was dragging her down the street. "I mean thanks, I guess," she mumbled, "but I had that situation completely under control." Vegeta paused and turned around to look at her incredulously. _Is this girl even aware how weak she is?_ He decided not to validate her comment with a reply as he pulled her around the corner into a alley, away from the commotion of the marketplace.

They stood face to face and Bulma got her first good look at her hero. He remained quiet as her eyes took him in, noticing his muscular stature and piercing black eyes. "Ok, so you're totally nailing that whole 'I'm so mysterious and sexy' thing but why are you wearing that cloak when its hot as balls out here?" Bulma asked with a raised eyebrow.

Vegeta turned his head slightly to hide the blush that threatened his cheeks at her indirect compliment. Clearly she didn't recognize him which was good, but not totally surprising being that she was an off worlder. "What is this part for?" he asked in attempt to dodge her question.

"Oh, I'm building a ship." Vegeta looked down at the part curiously after her response. "A space ship," she clarified. "Where are you going?" he asked, surprising himself again with his curiosity about this woman.

"Um, I haven't decided yet. To be honest, I'm just trying to get off this hell hole," Bulma laughed. This made the prince frown. "What's wrong with Vegetasei?" he asked, unable to hide the offense in his voice, "I personally think its the best planet in this galaxy."

Bulma snorted a laugh before replying, "well let's see, its hotter than satan's ass crack, and the people here are elitist as fuck. I think that's reason enough." Ok, so she wasn't wrong, but still, how dare her!

"Ahh, a woman with a lot of opinions," he said with a smirk, deciding he would have a little fun with her, "tell me, what do you think of the royal family?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "The king seems like the rest of the elites, inflated sense of self, puts way too much weight on one's power level. The prince though," Bulma rolled her eyes as she spoke and Vegeta moved his hand to cover the smile that was tugging at his lips. "I've never met him, obviously, but I think he's a complete jackass, arguably a bully, and I can't imagine he's as hot as everyone says he is."

Vegeta thought he'd be offended to hear someone call him those things to his face, but the fact that she didn't know it was him just made it funny. "Wow, don't you think its pretty judgmental to say all those things about someone you don't even know?"

"Hah, we'll its not like I'll ever get the chance to know him, and I pray to Kami I'm off this planet before he's the king, so I don't think it really matters," Bulma replied as she looked back towards the marketplace.

"This was a fun chat and all, but I think I'll be on my way," she said reaching to grab the part from his hand. He pulled it away and looked her mischievously, "that'll be 10,000 credits," he said with a smirk. Bulma frowned, "you can't be serious."

"Sure I am, isn't this what a bully would do," Vegeta replied, clearly amused. Bulma stared at him confused, but before she could question him she was interrupted. "That's them!" a familiar voice called, the pair turned to find the merchant and six royal guards, "those are the thieves!"

The royal guards came barreling toward them, but before Bulma could react Vegeta had grabbed her and was running in the opposite direction. She barely avoided tripping over her own feet trying to keep up with her mystery man who was now saving her for the second time today.

He was pushing through the crowds and turning down random alleyways aiming to lose their pursuers. "I cannot get caught by them," Vegeta told Bulma. "Why?" she teased between heavy breaths, "are you some infamous criminal or something?" He didn't reply, making Bulma wonder if that was actually the case.

Vegeta made a sharp turn and quickly pulled Bulma into his grasp, one hand covering her mouth the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her tightly against his chest in attempt to conceal both of them in a shadow.

Bulma could feel her heart drumming in her chest from a combination of their impromptu run and the oddly protective way this stranger held her against his body. With her back against his chest, Bulma realized for the time, that he was wearing armor. _Who is this guy?_

He was potentially very dangerous, his earlier show of strength combined with his urgent need to evade the guards was incredibly suspicious, but oddly enough, Bulma wasn't scared to be with him.

Bulma found herself unconsciously closing her eyes, pretending that she wasn't in serious danger, she allowed herself to enjoy his embrace for just a tiny, tiny second. With his strong arms wrapped around her, she felt safe, which was pretty weird considering she didn't even know this guy, but her inexplicable comfort around him felt so natural.

Bulma opened her eyes when she felt him tense, the half dozen royal guards scurried by without turning down the alley they were hiding in. She felt his body relaxed as the breath behind his sigh tickled the back of her neck. He released her and she stepped away from him before turning around to speak.

"Thanks, really, for earlier and for now. I didn't mean to get you in trouble over a part to my spaceship." At the mention of the part, Vegeta's eyes widened slightly as he began to feel his own body. Bulma quickly deduced what he was doing and started screaming, "you lost my part! What was the point of this whole damn thing if I didn't end up with it!?"

"Shut up and calm down!" he growled in a low voice. Bulma shoved him away, savior or not this guy is now just an idiot to her. "CALM DOWN?! I'm so fucking calm it hurts! I can't believe you so irresponsibly lost my—" her rant turned into mumbles as Vegeta grabbed her again and covered her mouth. He whispered in her ear, his tone very serious, "if you don't shut the fuck up, you're going to attract the guar—" before he could even finished his sentence three of the royal guards blocked the entrance of the alley.

Vegeta felt a little mumble from under his hand that he only could guess was the woman cursing. He let go of her and turned around ready to run, only to find another three guards at the other end of the alley. Bulma was right behind him, clutching the fabric of his cloak. "No part and we get caught, you're a shitty partner in crime," she whispered to him.

The prince couldn't help but laugh, this woman was such an enigma, but arguably the most interesting thing that's happened to him in awhile. The guards began closing in on them and two of them grabbed Bulma and dragged her away as she kicked and screamed. "You know what happens to thieves?" the guard asked in a menacing tone. Vegeta turned his head and saw the fear in Bulma's blue eyes, it upset him to a degree he didn't understand, but didn't question it as he resolved to protect her no matter the personal cost.

"Unhand her, right this instant!" Vegeta yelled at the guards. Bulma quit hollering, surprised by his commanding voice. The guards, too, must of been surprised because they stopped moving, then one of them started laughing, "who do you think you are, punk?"

With a flick, Vegeta dramatically ripped off his cloak revealing his identity, the guards shuddered, but Bulma didn't understand his theatrics until he spoke. "I _think_ I'm Prince Vegeta and I told you to unhand that woman!" The two guards immediately released her and Bulma stumbled away.

"Our sincerest apologies, sire" said one of the guards as they all fell to one knee and placed their fists over their hearts. Bulma, the only once left standing, was staring at her mystery man in complete disbelief. Without his cloak, she could see that the armor he was wearing was imprinted with the royal crest and his hair swept up in the shape of a flame, just like that of the king.

Bulma was gawking at him, her mouth literally open as the guards remained submissive to their prince. She recalled all the things she had said about him. "I'm sorry, WHAT?"

Prince Vegeta wore an arrogant smirk on his face and only replied with a wink.

A/N: I intended for this just to be a one shot, but comment below if you'd like to see this story continue. Also, follow me on tumblr vegebulsoup. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Bulma clenched the fabric of her sleeves nervously. She wore her coveralls properly now and zipped up all the way, because she was standing in the Vegetasei palace and felt obligated to be a little more modest. The blue haired mechanic looked anxiously down the grand hallway that was adorned with massive portraits of the royal family and ornate tapestries.

' _I do not belong here_ ,' Bulma thought.

She was standing outside what she figured to be the King's office, as he ripped the prince a new one. Bulma couldn't quite make out what was being said, but from the sheer volume she knew he was yelling. Suddenly the door opened and Bulma stiffened as the king walked out followed by the prince.

"If you don't start taking your lessons seriously, there will be severe consequences. Am I understood?" the king said sternly. "Of course, father," the prince replied, his tone as cool as ever. Bulma felt so weird observing this interaction.

The king's eyes turned to Bulma, and looked her up and down. "And take this street rat back to the city where you found her," then the king turned swiftly and strode down the hall, his blood red cape fluttered behind him.

Bulma stared at the back of his head in utter distaste. She was a little dirty right now, from working on her ship and then running through the dusty market, but she was no rat! She was a beautiful, young woman, thank you very much! Bulma was brought out of her internal tirade when she heard Vegeta laugh, clearly amused at her reaction to his father's comment.

She turned her angry eyes at the prince, who seemed completely unperturbed by the verbal lashing he received just moments ago. "You get yelled at often?" Bulma teased.

"Who me?" Vegeta said in playful mock innocence as he pointed to his own chest. The two shared a small laugh, and Vegeta felt his chest tighten as they locked eyes.

"Let's go," he said as he grabbed her by the hand and began walking down the hallway. Bulma followed suit, but looked back behind her, where they originally entered the palace.

"Uhh, where are you taking me?" she inquired. The prince stopped, then pondered the question. He wasn't taking her any place in particular, he realized, he just wasn't ready for her to leave.

His hesitation caused her to draw her own conclusion, and she ripped her hand away from his. "I'm grateful and all for you not letting me get arrested, but I didn't sign up to be the prince's little plaything. So if you were planning to take me back to your bed, you can just forget about it. I'm busy and now I have to find that part that you so inconveniently lost!"

"That's not…" Vegeta trailed off, his face was heated in embarrassment. Not that he was opposed to the idea, but that was seriously her first guess. He wasn't quite sure how to react, women never talked to him like this.

"That's not what?" she poked, "don't tell me you just played the hero today for the sake of it, because that doesn't really seem like your MO." The prince was speechless, he still couldn't explain his actions today to himself, let alone verbalize them out loud. _Why DID he feel the need to protect this boisterous girl?_

"You'll have to try a lot harder if you want a piece of this," she said before she flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and walked towards the exit.

Vegeta watched her walk away for a moment, totally confused. So she wouldn't sleep with him? or she wouldn't sleep with him _yet_? He still wasn't even sure if that was his objective in the first place, but he quickly chased after her until they were walking side by side.

"I'll walk you home," he said. Bulma gave him a suspicious once over, she figured someone like the prince wouldn't be interested anymore if he had to put in any effort at all. She found herself a little too pleased that she still had his attention, but that didn't mean she was done teasing him.

"I'm practically swooning," Bulma dramatically yelled as she put the back of her hand to her forehead, "the Saiyan Prince is so charming and chivalrous." A few guards and servants looked over at the commotion and Vegeta was mortified. This woman was aiming to embarrass him!

He quickly covered her mouth and growled in her ear, "shut up, would ya?" She struggled in his grip, which prompted him to only hold on tighter. He could hear her mumbling curses as he picked up her wiggling body and walked out of the palace doors.

He released her mouth and set her down before a grand staircase that led to the front gardens below. "Are you ready to behave?" Vegeta asked in a patronizing tone, knowing that she would hate it.

Bulma did hate it, she wanted to hate his manhandling too, but feeling the prince's muscled arms holding her tightly against his firm body just made her melt. So she resolved to ignore the stupid, mushy feeling and say something that would leave him dumbfounded.

Bulma stepped in real close, one of her hands rested on his chest while the other grabbed the back of his neck to pull his ear close to her lips. Vegeta's hands reflexively found her hips and his grip tightened slightly as she purred, "are you gonna cover my mouth when you fuck me, too?"

Vegeta's dark eyes widened at her salacious comment, but before he could react she had slipped out of his grip and was running down the stairs… laughing? This vulgar woman was just toying with him! And clearly getting quite a kick out of it. The prince began chasing after her, he could easily have jumped and cleared all of the stairs but decided instead to indulge in this game.

He followed her into a labyrinth of tall hedges in the center of the gardens, not even trying to resist the smile that found its way to his lips. The prince was very familiar with the hedge's paths, as he often played here as a boy, so when she continued straight, Vegeta made a hard turn knowing exactly where he could cut her off.

Bulma was still laughing to herself, but more and more out of breath as she continued to run. The look on the prince's face was absolutely priceless. She turned to look over her shoulder, but slowed when she found he was no longer behind her.

Bulma was suddenly embarrassed, thinking that Vegeta may have stopped following her altogether, maybe he found her actions completely juvenile. The blue haired girl frowned, it was whatever, she didn't care what he thought of her anyhow. She began walking again, hoping to find a way out of this maze and back home as soon as possible.

When Bulma rounded the corner, she had the wind knocked out of her as the prince tackled her to the ground. Vegeta trapped her small body between his powerful thighs, he pinned both of her hands above her head in one of his and his other hand, of course, covered her mouth. "I win," he whispered as his lips came dangerously close to her face, his deep black eyes looked like they were about to devour her.

Despite his dark gaze and the compromising position they were in, Bulma shoved down any sort of reaction her body was having to this man and chose to stare back at him, her blue eyes blazing with defiance. She mumbled something under his hand, so Vegeta removed it and said teasingly, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"I still think you're a jackass," she repeated. The prince just smirked and shook his head. He rolled off of her with a laugh and comfortably laid on his back, his fingers laced together to support the back of his head as he stared up into the sky. Bulma propped herself up on her elbows and looked up too, though it was still daytime, you could see the planet's three moons in the sky.

Bulma turned back over to look at Vegeta whose eyes were still fixed upward, and seemed to be filled with a sense of…longing? "Do you think Vegetasei it the greatest, because you haven't been allowed to go anywhere else?" she asked, understanding from her own experience that those with the most power can often find themselves the most confined. Vegeta gave a small smile, before sitting up at looking at her. "No, I've been to plenty of other planets. I think Vegetasei is the greatest because its mine."

She furrowed her brows at that response, she didn't want to believe that the Vegeta she was getting to know was self-important enough to think that he actually owned this planet. As if sensing her internal questions, he elaborated, "this is where I grew up, where I'll one day rule, these are my people — *cough cough* even the filthy off worlders." Bulma rolled her eyes at his jab. "Its a planet that I share my name with, so of course I want it to be the best, and I think the first step is to believe its the best."

A soft smile found its way to Bulma's lips, as she looked away, slightly embarrassed by how sweet she found his confession. Suddenly she felt the prince's gloved fingers under her chin, prompting her to turn back to him.

When she did, he was much closer than he had been before, their noses nearly touched. "If you'd let me, I could show you this world." Her heart rate quickened with excitement at the promise of a new adventure, with rather interesting company. "I swear its not the hell hole you believe it to be," he added with a chuckle.

Bulma searched his eyes, wondering if such an offer was truly sincere. "Yeah, ok," she whispered.

Little did they know, King Vegeta, who had been standing on his balcony that overlooked the gardens, witnessed their affectionate display and growled in repugnance.


	3. Chapter 3

Bulma picked up a shirt from the pile of clothes she was sifting through and brought it to her nose to smell. It smelt fine, so she held it out to inspect it. The blue haired mechanic tilted her head as she imagined herself wearing the garment.

"Ugh," she groaned as she tossed the shirt over her shoulder and plopped face down on top of the pile of clothes.

She was overthinking this, clearly, but she really had no idea what to wear to her little rendezvous with the Saiyan prince. Bulma was sure this was not a date. How could it be? He was the future ruler of this entire planet and she was basically a nobody.

Bulma sighed for the hundredth time that morning as she dressed in an outfit she would wear any other day. If anything the prince was probably just full of himself and because she insulted his precious little planet, he was determined to prove her wrong.

She didn't want to lie to herself, of course she found him attractive, and the hours they spent together laying in the garden getting to know one another was almost so sweet she wanted to barf. He was smart, at times sarcastic, always arrogant, but also incredibly passionate.

But Bulma was a realist, it wasn't like they could have an actual relationship. His father made it clear he hadn't even wanted her in the palace and with as many admirers as Prince Vegeta had, a single woman likely didn't hold his attention for long. So she resolved (if anything) this could be a fun little fling, no expectations, and absolutely no feelings.

* * *

When Bulma arrived at the palace gates she was met by two large, muscular guards. "I'm here to see the prince," she said confidently as she looked up at the towering men.

The guards exchanged a look then both ran their eyes over her. Bulma crossed her arms with an impatient huff. "The prince wasn't exaggerating," one of the guards mumbled to the other.

"Right this way, Bulma," the guard said as he lead her through the gates. She raised an intrigued eyebrow at the use of her name. "Prince Vegeta is currently still training, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you watched."

When the guard escorted Bulma around a corner, she smiled when Vegeta came into view. She thanked the guard and he nodded before returning to his post.

Vegeta was sparring with a young, tall warrior with wild hair. The two continued to exchange blows as Bulma approached. There was another onlooker, also a warrior she indicated by his armor.

Bulma decided to take back the adjective she had earlier given to Vegeta's sparring partner, this onlooking warrior had _wild_ hair. A long black mane covered his entire back. He turned over his shoulder when Bulma came up next to him.

His dark eyes scanned over her approvingly. "What?" she spat, and the warrior just smiled. "Bulma, I presume?"

The blue haired mechanic was again surprised by the fact that someone she had never met knew who she was. "Yeah, and what's your name?" she asked, unable to keep the sass out of her tone.

"Raditz," he replied with a smirk, before turning his attention back to the fight. Bulma's eyes followed and watched the two men duke it out. The fight progressed and she gazed at Vegeta in awe, his movements were so forceful yet so precise.

When Bulma caught herself ogling at the movement of his defined muscles, she told herself to snap out of it. "How did you know my name?" she whispered to her fellow onlooker in an attempt to distract herself.

Raditz laughed, but kept his sights on the fight. "How do you think," he said as if that was a stupid question. When Vegeta kicked the taller man in the chest and sent him flying, Raditz took the opportunity to announce her arrival. "Hey Prince Vegeta, look who it is!"

Vegeta turned to find Bulma standing next to Raditz and gave his signature smirk. When their eyes met, Bulma felt all the insecurities from that morning wash away as a faint blush found its way to her cheeks. Well at least until his sparring partner punched him square in the jaw. Bulma cringed as Vegeta fell onto his back from the force of the blow.

"You left yourself wide open," his sparring partner taunted.

"Fuck you, Kakarot!" Vegeta spat. Kakarot chuckled before offering his prince a helping hand. The taller man heaved Vegeta up and the prince dusted himself off.

"We're done for now," Vegeta told him before walking over to Bulma. "Hey," he said smoothly as he eyed Bulma. She didn't react immediately, her gaze transfixed by his bare, muscled physique glistening with sweat. When she realized what she was doing, she moved her gaze up to his dark eyes that flickered with amusement as he caught her admiring his body. "Sup," she finally said.

Raditz snickered at their exchange and the prince shot him a death glare. "You can leave now!" he spat. Irritated but also embarrassed by being mocked by his fellow warriors.

Raditz put his hands up in mock surrender before grabbing Kakarot and leaving the grounds. "Nice meeting you, Bulma," Raditz called.

"I just need to get cleaned up and then we can go," he told her before he began walking back towards the palace. Bulma followed, slightly nervous about the possibility of running into the king.

After winding through the palace halls with Bulma in tow, Vegeta opened a large set of double doors and entered his bedroom. "If you could just wait over there," the prince said pointing to a seating area. Bulma nodded and took a seat on the plush couch while her eyes scanned the room. While on Vegetasei, Bulma had been living in a small loft above her work garage, and Vegeta's bedroom appeared to be at least three times its size.

As soon as Vegeta enter his en suite bathroom, Bulma wearily rose from the couch keeping her eye on the bathroom door. She wanted to further inspect the room, she was just so curious about the Saiyan prince she couldn't help but look around. The more time she was left alone, the bolder she grew, peaking inside drawers and picking up the most interesting of his belongings.

"I do hope you weren't planning on stealing that," a deep voice whispered in her ear. "Agh!" Bulma blurted as she turned around to find a towel clad prince right behind her. She placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart, "you scared the shit out of me." Vegeta just raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't trying to steal anything I was just…" Bulma trailed off. "Snooping?" he finished for her, his tone clearly amused. "I was going to say curious," she corrected him, "I just really want to get to know you."

"Get to know me," he repeated quietly, as if that was a foreign concept. "Yeah, so you better get dressed, so we can go on this adventure you promised me!" she said cheerfully.

Vegeta took a predatory step forward and Bulma instinctively stepped back causing her back to be up against the bookshelf she had previously been pursuing. "You could _get to know me_ right here… right now," he purred seductively. His charcoal black eyes bore into hers with an intensity that made Bulma's breath hitch.

A fierce blush spread across Bulma's face at the overt suggestion, he certainly wasn't laughing like she had when she made such a comment. Her eyes couldn't help but peak down at the towel wrapped around his waist, she be lying if she said she wasn't curious about what was underneath.

"Nice try!" she said with a forced laugh as she pushed him away, meeting no resistance. Vegeta shrugged before walking away towards his closet. Bulma exhaled and fanned her face, that was a bit steamier than she was prepared for.

He emerged from the closet not two minutes later, fully dressed and sliding on his white boots. "Shall we?" he asked as he gestured toward the door. The pair walked through the palace side by side, before reaching the royal hangar.

Vegeta led her to a small plane among a line of numerous air and spacecrafts, all christened with the royal crest. "She's a beauty," Bulma whispered as she made a lap around the plane, inspecting it thoroughly. A small smile found Vegeta's lips as he watched her, pleased to know she was impressed.

They boarded the ship, Vegeta took a seat in the pilots chair and punched in the coordinates to a location that was still undisclosed to Bulma. He walked over to the copilot's chair where she had sat, and helped her get buckled in before returning to his own seat.

Once in the air, Vegeta engaged the auto pilot and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked as he stood and made his way to the back of the aircraft. Bulma followed suit. "Water is good." Bulma smirked as she watched the prince rummage through the fridge.

"So you've been talking about me?" Bulma teased and the prince immediately flushed. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," he lied as he pulled out two bottles of water.

"It's seems as though everyone knows who I am," she smiled knowingly.

"Oh, this city is full of gossips, I would just disregard whatever you've heard," he mumbled shyly as he walked past her back to the front of the ship.

"Excuse me?!" Bulma shouted as she followed closely behind him. "Are you insinuating that everyone in the _city_ is aware of our relationship? I was taking about the people I ran into in the palace!"

Vegeta stopped suddenly causing Bulma to run into his back. "And what would say our relationship is?" he whispered over his shoulder. Bulma swallowed nervously, as she looked up to meet his gaze, her chest still pressed against his muscled back. "Casual acquaintances," she replied.

The prince laughed aloud as he walked away from her and sat in his pilot's chair. "That's rich," he said, "because according to the rumor mill, you're pregnant with the next heir of Vegetasei and that I threatened to execute a shopkeeper for disrespecting you."

"What!" Bulma gawked, there's no way their encounter in the market could have gotten that misconstrued. Then Vegeta roared out another laugh, "that's payback for what you said on the stairs the other day!"

Bulma frowned but also relaxed slightly realizing the rumor he mentioned was made up. She walked over and sat in the copilot's chair next to Vegeta as he handed her her water. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"You'll see," he smirked as he reclined in his chair.

* * *

The pair disembarked the aircraft after landing on a high precipice. The dust brushed up by there landing settled onto the ground, clearing the view. When Bulma gazed out at the vast landscape, it took her breath away.

Deep canyons striped with orange and red hues stretched beyond the horizon. Sharp, jagged cliffs and softly, flattened plateaus were painted across the scene. She tentatively approached the cliff's edge, to find that they were several hundred feet up. Looking so far down, Bulma began feeling scared and unsteady, but two firm arms wrapped around her waist and she knew she was safe.

For several silent moments, Bulma enjoyed the view, noticing the smaller details hidden below. Rivers traversed through the deep canyons and various flora speckled the landscape. She observed the stripes on the cliffside were caused by various types of erosion, meaning that this beautiful canyon was likely forged over the course of many centuries. It's gorgeous. It's magnificent.

"It's okay," Bulma shrugged, before turning around to see the prince's reaction. A playful smirk tugging at her lips. Vegeta pursed his lips as he gently shook his head, "you are a bothersome woman."

"Yeah, well, you say bothersome, I say —" but before Bulma could finish her thought, Vegeta had grabbed the sides her face and pulled her lips against his. After the momentary shock wore off, Bulma relaxed into his kiss and their lips moved together in harmony. Too soon for her liking, the prince pulled away, and looked into her eyes gauging her reaction.

"Hilarious," Bulma whispered slightly out breath, completing her now irrelevant comeback.


	4. Chapter 4

Bulma gripped the collar of his puffy green jacket to pull him closer, to deepen their passionate kiss. The pair had just embarked on their fifth trip that month. Each accompanied by an ample amount of conversation and kissing.

This time Vegeta brought Bulma to the North Pole of Vegetasei, where frosty cold tundra dominated the landscape. At first Bulma was surprised when she stepped off the aircraft. With how hot the capitol was, it was hard to imagine that anywhere in Vegetasei was cold. Thankfully, Vegeta had prepared her with a warm thermal-lined coat that had a hood to keep her ears warm.

Though freezing, the northern pole of the planet was still a desert, so instead of powdery snow, the entire ground was covered in thick sheets of ice. Not long after their arrival, the sun made its final decent behind the horizon, darkening the entire sky.

It was eerily quiet so far from civilization. The distant glaciers were beautiful but significantly less flashy than most of their recent adventures.

"It's really beautiful, peaceful even," she said sweetly to Vegeta who was zipping up his coat.

"You haven't see the half of it," he replied ambiguously. Bulma wasn't quite sure what more there was to see, there wasn't anything out here besides flat, frozen land. She opened her mouth to question what it was he meant, then furrowed her brow in confusion when she noticed something odd.

Vegeta's face seemed to be illuminated by a faint green light. As if reading her mind, he pointed with his eyes behind her.

Bulma turned around to follow his gaze, and found green streams of light serpentining through the darkness. Shades of purple and fuchsia danced across the star speckled sky. It was as if the North Pole was putting on an ethereal light show and they were its private audience.

She watched silently, awestruck for several minutes. "Aurora borealis,"Vegeta informed her.

"Wow," Bulma whispered unable to pull her eyes away from the stunning scene.

* * *

Bulma wouldn't shut up about these northern lights the entire flight back to the capitol. When they disembarked the aircraft, they were greeted by a displeased King Vegeta.

"I see you've been galavanting around the planet again," the king said as he glared at the prince.

"I've been taking time to appreciate our kingdom," Prince Vegeta retorted as he crossed his arms, "it hasn't effected my lessons, so I don't see what the problem is." Vegeta knew the problem was not his escapades, but rather who accompanied him. The King narrowed his eyes and growled at the insolent prince.

"Don't forget that your presence is required at the banquet tonight," the King reminded, deciding not to press the issue further. "There will many eligible, elite Saiyan women there, that are dying to meet you." The emphasis his father put on 'elite' and 'Saiyan' made Vegeta roll his eyes.

Bulma was stiff, cursing internally that she had to be witness to this conversation. "You should be keeping company that is more _appropriate,"_ the king said shooting Bulma a glare.

"I will be at the damn banquet," Vegeta sighed. He was willing to say anything to get his father away from Bulma. Vegeta had witnessed Bulma sass mean looking men that were twice her size, but she would never disrespect the king. Satisfied with his son's reply the king retreated back to the palace and Bulma felt like she could finally breathe again.

"So," Vegeta said with a smirk, "what are you going to wear for me tonight?"

"First of all, I don't know where you get off thinking I wear anything solely for your benefit," Bulma began with a huff. "Second, I hope you don't mean to that banquet, because it was pretty clear that your father doesn't want me there."

"Oh forget about him!" the prince said with a dismissive wave. "We'll find you something to wear." Vegeta grabbed her by the hips pulling her flush against his body.

"And I'll be the envy of the party with you on my arm," he whispered softly into her neck.

"Um, I don't know if it's a good idea..." Bulma breathed out but her perfectly crafted and logical argument that was supposed to follow turned into mush as the prince began kissing her neck.

* * *

Paragus, one of the king's 'trusted' advisors, stomped down the palace hallways as one of his minions struggled to match his stride. "Sir, I'm sorry!" he apologized for the hundredth time, "what was I suppose to do? Take them by force? Surely the commotion that would cause would get back to the king."

Paragus growled knowing that was, in fact, true, but the reality did nothing to quell his growing frustrations. "What did the Nameks say to you exactly?" Paragus questioned.

"Well when I located the first village and inquired about the dragon balls, they brought me before their elder, who I suppose is it's keeper. When I told the elder that I was collecting the balls he refused to hand it over," the minion recalled.

"But did he say why? Do you have to trade something for it? Did you offer him the money?" Paragus nearly yelled before realizing the were in the hall with potential eavesdroppers.

"I tried to offer the money as you instructed, but they weren't interested." He continued in hushed tones, "I'm not quite sure, as the elder spoke in riddles, but from what I gathered they will only give the dragon balls to those who are pure of heart, like that they have good intentions behind their wish."

"Pure of heart?" Paragus repeated while scratching his chin. The Saiyans were a strong warrior race who valued pride, honor, and loyalty. But _purity_? Not quite. They were a rambunctious people known to be violent, lustful, and at times brutal.

Paragus realized those who usually did his bidding were not suited for this job, but then who? Sure, there were off worlders on Vegetasei that could fulfill this ridiculous purity requirement, but would they be capable to discreetly carry out the mission and ideally disappear once it was over?

* * *

Later that evening, Prince Vegeta strolled into the banquet fashionably late, which was no surprise to anyone in attendance. What did draw attention was the woman he had on his arm. She had wavy aqua hair that draped over her shoulders, bedazzling blue eyes, and wore a dark navy floor length gown.

Her coloring seemed to compliment the prince's polished royal armor. The pair looked absolutely regal as they glided into the ballroom, and Vegeta's red cape fluttered behind him.

Many of the elite women huffed indignantly at the sight of the prince with another. They were each beautiful and strong, and much more fitting to be the Princess of all Saiyans (at least according to the king). So why had the prince chosen her, a woman whose appearance was so un-Saiyan.

Nearly all Saiyans had dark features, tanned skin, black hair, black, brown, sometimes grey eyes. She was a rare, exotic beauty and the other women resented her for it.

The King watched them enter and growled at his son's outright disobedience. "Would you look at that woman the prince brought?" he grumbled at his nearby advisor. With his thoughts elsewhere, Paragus completely missed the king's disapproving tone. "Yes, sire. She's very lovely."

"That is not what I meant!" King Vegeta sneered. "She's nothing but a filthy street rat he picked up from the marketplace. If my son was to marry an off worlder, she should at least be royalty!"

With that outburst, the king gave himself an idea. If he couldn't temp his son with any of the beautiful elite women, maybe a princess from another planet would suit his fancy. Perhaps his union with another planet's princess would be politically advantageous for Vegetasei. The king began scheming silently as the guests continued to dance and gossip.

Bulma and Vegeta made their way to the dance floor while whispers about the couple spread throughout the room. "Everyone is staring," Bulma mumbled.

"Let them," was Vegeta's only reply, as he grabbed her hand in his and placed his other on the small of her back. His confidence was reassuring, but then again he was such a show off he probably loved the attention.

She tried to follow his lead as spun her around the dance floor. When he finally caught on that Bulma couldn't dance whatsoever, they settled on swaying to the rhythm of the music. She tilted her head up to find that Vegeta was already looking down at her. His dark eyes that usually brimmed with intensity, were full of affection, and Bulma blushed.

' _I'm letting this go too far_ ,' Bulma worried trying desperately to suppress the feelings she had when the prince gazed at her like that. ' _If I let myself fall for him, I'm only going to end up hurt_ ,' she reminded herself.

The task was growing more difficult each day they spent together. Bulma felt like the connection they shared was wholly unique. She felt herself always drawn to him regardless of her internal protest. But despite all the time they had spent together though, he had never expressed how he felt about her.

' _My father is just going to have to get over himself and his prejudice, because Bulma will be my princess whether he likes it or not_ ,' Vegeta thought arrogantly, as he smirked at Bulma who wore a concerned look on her face. He could only assume it had to do with the other guests watching them.

"Hey," he whispered regaining her attention, "don't worry about them." Bulma gave him a small smile then nestled herself against his chest. He wrapped his protective arms tighter around her and she felt safe, even if just for a moment. ' _Maybe the heartbreak would be worth it._ '

The king smirked as his plan began to take shape. "First things first, I have to get rid of the girl," he mumbled to himself. Paragus overheard and instinctively looked over to where she and the prince stood. She smiled sweetly and greeted everyone Prince Vegeta introduced her to.

Paragus decided in that moment that she would be perfect. If he could send her to retrieve the dragon balls, the King would be thankful that he got rid of her and completely unsuspecting when he finally got his wish.


	5. Chapter 5

Prince Vegeta woke after a restless night's sleep. He laid on his large bed with his fingers laced together supporting his head, a sheet covered his lower half as he stared up at the ceiling. The banquet last night had been a huge success in his eyes.

He had introduced Bulma to the royal advisors and other prominent members of the court, and everyone was completely enamored by her. She was beautiful, articulate, and surprisingly knowledgeable about current events throughout the galaxy. Bulma was able to maintain lively conversations with men Vegeta found to be unbearably boring. The consensus among the banquet's attendees was that Bulma was the perfect offset for their haughty prince.

Little did they know Bulma could be just as proud and stubborn as Vegeta, she just knew how to work a crowd. She had truly impressed him with her charms, and he learned quickly that he wasn't the only victim of her irresistible magnetism. Too bad the king seemed to be the only one who was immune.

But despite a nearly perfect debut, Vegeta began to feel restless the moment she left. He knew he felt an unfamiliar warm, comfortable feeling when they were together, but he hadn't realized he would feel _uncomfortable_ without her. She had become so precious to him and if they were apart how could he protect her!?

This genius of a woman was so stupid sometimes, picking fights with those significantly stronger than her. Sassing those who would kill her without a second thought. The more the prince continued this line of thinking, the more stressed out he became. Vegeta jumped out of bed as he decided to go check on her, just real quick.

He threw on his normal training gear sans his royal armor and rushed down the halls. Paragus spotted the hasty prince and figured he must be heading off to see that blue haired woman. A smirk crossed his lips as he realized knowing where the woman dwelled when she wasn't in the palace, would prove advantageous for him. He could later approach her about his quest without the prince nearby.

With his mind made up, Paragus followed Prince Vegeta out of the palace and into the city, consciously staying several paces back. The crowds grew thicker as they made their way into the marketplace, but Prince Vegeta's hair was easy to spot. Paragus remained concealed in a shadow in a neighboring alley, as he watched the prince enter what appeared to be a mechanic's workshop.

Bulma tinkered with her latest gizmo while humming a little tune to herself. She looked up at the sound of someone entering the front door, pleasantly surprised to find that it was Vegeta. His gaze traced over her, paying particular attention to the hint of cleavage peaking out from under her half zipped coveralls. The prince sauntered into her garage wearing his signature smirk, his concerns for her safety were replaced by thoughts of ravishing her. Bulma couldn't help the faint blush that found its way across her cheeks at the way he looked at her with his dark and lusty eyes.

"So tell me, how'd you get so good at charming stuffy, old bureaucrats?" Vegeta asked as he approached her.

"I'm well practiced from my former life," Bulma answered simply with a playful shrug and set down the gizmo.

"Oh yeah?" Vegeta asked as he made his way around her workbench to wear she was seated. He placed one hand on the surface of workbench and leaned down towards her. "And in this former life did you woo many princes as well?" His voice was low and husky, and Bulma found herself inexplicably lured into him.

Bulma swiftly stood from her seat, closing the space between them, and pressed her lips against his. He reciprocated immediately, as if he planned her reaction himself. Vegeta gripped her hips and lifted her to sit on top of her workbench, pushing aside her latest projects.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him between her spread legs. Her fingers tangled into his inky black hair as she teasingly bit his bottom lip. Bulma heard a deep, hungry growl in his throat before his tongue pushed past her lips to taste her own.

' _I didn't sign up to be the prince's little plaything_ ,' her own words taunted her as Vegeta's hands ran up her thighs. A moan escaped her lips and her body arched into his as he gave her ass a tight squeeze. ' _Well that ship has sailed_.' He shows up unannounced in the middle of her work day and she just dropped everything at the chance to jump his bones.

Vegeta's hands that had been roaming over her curves, halted their exploration to pull her in tighter. They clung to each other, chests pressed firmly together, as their kiss deepened. Tongues caressed one another in a passionate dance.

They parted momentarily when Bulma's hands gripped the hem of Vegeta's shirt. She peeled off his tight training suit top and tossed it aside, before her small hands traced up the ridges of his bare, muscled torso. They found purchase on his jaw and she pulled him into her lips once more. Their hips rocked against each other as they continued their fervent kiss.

The press of his hardened member against her center, reminded Bulma where this was headed. The haze of lust cleared for a moment, and Bulma turned away and looked at the front door of her garage. The unperturbed prince continued his assault and kissed her neck. "We shouldn't do this here," she said with disappointment in her breathy voice. "Someone could walk in."

Vegeta looked up at her and nodded with a pout. They stared at each other silently for a moment, and Vegeta brushed a stray hair behind her ear. "Sorry," she said with a frown but Vegeta just shrugged. A glimmer of light shone in from a window and reflected off a metallic surface drawing his eye behind her. After doing a double take, Vegeta just stared into the corner of the workshop and tried to puzzle together how he felt about what he saw.

"What's that?" he asked plainly before he pointed at the machine he'd been eyeing. He wasn't stupid, he knew what it was, but he just wanted her to confirm his suspicions.

Bulma, still sitting atop her workbench, turned over her shoulder to follow his line of sight. "That's the ship I'm building," she replied confusedly. The prince was not as mechanically gifted as she, but surely he could identify such a machine.

"So you're still leaving then," he more stated than asked. Bulma felt her heart break a little as she connected the dots. She returned her gaze to him and instantly regretted it, as she witnessed the sadness that filled his eyes. "I told you I was leaving the day we met," she defended pathetically, "nothing's changed."

Vegeta was visibly distressed, but his sadness quickly shifted into anger. _'Nothing's changed? Nothing has changed?! Only **everything** had changed for him! How dare she minimize everything they had shared!' _he bellowed internally.

"Be serious, Vegeta, why should I stay here?" she asked solemnly. Bulma wasn't happy with her decision but she was trying to be realistic. Through their adventures she definitely gained a new appreciation for Vegetasei, but the only thing really worth staying on this planet for was him.

But they could never be together, not for real, definitely not if his father had anything to say about it. And Bulma was much too proud to be his side piece after he found a "appropriate" princess.

' _Why should she stay?!_ ' Her question only continued to frustrate him, "you should stay, because I lov—". He swallowed the words before they could escape, Vegeta had shocked himself with what he was about to confess. Even without the final syllables, Bulma caught what he was going to say and she felt her heart clench.

It was if a hundred emotions crossed Vegeta's face in an instant before he settled on stone cold indifference. "Actually, I was growing bored of you anyway," he spat.

Bulma cringed at his cruelty, she knew he didn't mean it. He couldn't have, not after what he almost confessed. "You're right, you should leave. And the sooner the better." He quickly turned around, snatched his discarded shirt from the floor, and marched out of her garage, not even sparing a look back.

The blue haired mechanic stared at the door her prince left through. Her vision blurred before she caught her head in her hands and heavy tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't have any delusions that Vegeta would be hers forever, but she never imagined that it would end like this. That it would _hurt_ like this.

She had attempted to keep Vegeta at arm's length, but it was futile. There was no way she could deny her feelings for him now, not after he just ripped her heart out.

Paragus took notice when the Saiyan prince stormed from the woman's garage and furiously launched into the air, despite the city being a no fly zone. ' _What a curious turn of events_ ,' he thought to himself. He emerged from the shadowy corner and approached the storefront Prince Vegeta had just left.

Bulma quickly swallowed her sobs and tried to put on a brave face as a new customer entered her garage. "Hi," Bulma greeted while wiping away her tears, "how can I help you?"

"I have a job for you," Paragus replied ominously. The blue haired mechanic raised an eyebrow curiously, "can you bring the ship here? Because if I have to come to you that'll cost extra."

"Its not a job like that, my dear," he said, as he strolled through the garage eyeing Bulma's current projects. "I need you to go retrieve something for me." His continued ambiguity made Bulma all the more weary.

"Yeah, that's not really what I do," she informed him. The man was familiar, but she couldn't quite remember his name. He was dressed like any other elite, perhaps she'd seen him at the palace.

"Would you reconsider the scope of _what you do_ , if I were to pay you 500,000 credits?" he asked smugly and Bulma nearly choked at the large sum of money. That was enough to buy all the parts she needed to finish her ship and have some to spare!

"And I'll give you a spacecraft from the royal fleet, if you vow to never return to Vegetasei after you complete my mission." Bulma's eyes grew wide, this was too good to be true!

Wait, this was _way_ too good to be true.

"But what's the catch?" Bulma questioned suspiciously. This guy was being intentionally obtuse about the mission itself, but also appeared to seek her out personally. A ship from the royal fleet? So it was the palace that she knew him from, but how did this guy have the authority to give away a ship?

"No catch," the stranger said cooly. "I just need some special treasures from another planet, and you are uniquely qualified to get them for me." Bulma pursed her lips, this wasn't the whole story, she was sure of that.

Was he one of this king's henchmen, trying to get her away from Vegeta? Well, she actually succeeded in doing that all by herself. Maybe this stranger was trying to use her but she was reaping plenty of benefits herself. So then what's the harm? She'd get the money, the ship, and escape from her heartbreak.

"You think it over, and I'll come back tomorrow for your answer," he said as he exited the garage without giving her a chance to object. The blue haired mechanic silently watched him go.

After the nagging uncertainty from her interaction with the stranger subsided, Bulma was left alone in her quiet garage, with an empty feeling left by Vegeta's rejection. She couldn't help as the tears returned to her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Vegeta stomped through the palace. "Someone go get me Kakarot!" he commanded at a group of servants who were unlucky enough to pass by the fuming prince. They scurried away in fear and Vegeta made his way to the training grounds. The prince needed to rid himself of these frustrations and clear his mind, but he was much too angry to mediate.

It wasn't long before his sparring partner, Kakarot, arrived and approached a sweaty prince on the training grounds. "Sup Geets!" Kakarot greeted with a friendly salute. "Why do your servants seem so terrified today? They acted like this sparring sesh was particularly urgent."

"Could you shut the fuck up for once in your life?" Vegeta spat. "I didn't summon you to fucking gossip, let's fight."

Kakarot furrowed his brow, confused by the prince's current demeanor. Vegeta in a good mood was abrasive, but this was different.

Even if the prince denied it, Kakarot knew he was Vegeta's best friend and he could tell that something was wrong with him. But Kakarot also knew, Vegeta wouldn't want to talk it out, so he did what he could and sparred with the prince until his heart's content.

After a few grueling hours of nonstop fighting, Vegeta called it quits. Kakarot collapsed onto the ground and chuckled. "Shit, man," he said with labored breath. "Clearly you're working through something, maybe you should talk to someone... not me, if you don't want, but like... maybe Bulma?" he suggested.

"Do not mention that woman to me ever again. She's never coming back here," Vegeta growled as he wiped his brow with a towel.

"Why not?" Kakarot asked slightly alarmed as he sat up. "I thought you really liked her?"

"Not anymore," he grumbled. "She's leaving Vegetasei, so clearly she doesn't care about... _this planet_. I mean I thought _this planet_ was really good to her. She pretended like she loved _this planet,_ but it was all just a lie. _"_

Kakarot frowned, he wasn't the brightest but he caught on to the subtext of what the prince was saying. "I'm sorry, Geets," he said sympathetically.

"I don't want your fucking pity," Vegeta yelled as he threw his sweaty towel at his friend before walking away.

As he meandered through the palace halls back to his quarters, Vegeta began to calm down. The sparring with Kakarot exhausted him, and thankfully relieved him of his anger. The downside was now he felt nothing at all and a hollow, numbness consumed him.

"Vegeta," the king called to his son, but he was ignored. "Prince Vegeta you will show your king some respect!" he yelled. Startled out of his depressed musings, Vegeta turned to his father.

"Sir?" he said respectfully. The king narrowed his eyes, the prince was off and he could tell. "I have made arrangements with several planets and in the next few weeks princesses from around the galaxy are coming to visit Vegetasei for the opportunity to court you."

Prince Vegeta blinked at his father. "Yeah, ok, whatever," he said tiredly. The king was surprised, he expected at least some protest from his incorrigible son.

"Excellent!" King Vegeta exclaimed. "You must be on your best behavior with these women, they are from respectable planets rich in resources that would benefit Vegetasei. But don't worry, my advisors and I ensured they are of great beauty as well. Only the best for my son!"

Vegeta stared blankly at his father as he spoke. "Alright. I'm going to go to my room now," then walked away before being dismissed.

The king watched the prince trudge down the corridor, perplexed by his out of character behavior. Maybe he was learning that his king knows best and that he shouldn't resist his father's decisions so much. King Vegeta patted himself on the back, ' _consistent parenting is good parenting_ ,' he told himself.

Vegeta entered his quarters and fell face first into his bed. As annoying as he found his father's plans, maybe it could serve as a distraction from his aching heart. Maybe he'd meet these foreign princesses and realize Bulma wasn't that special after all. ' _Yeah, she not that specia_ l,' he lied to himself.

* * *

Bulma closed her garage for the rest of the day, not really wanting to interact with anyone. She trudged up some stairs to the loft above her garage and tossed herself onto her bed with a sigh.

Bulma tried to ignore her aching heart as she weighed the pros and cons of accepting the stranger's mission. She would be able to finally get off Vegetasei and have enough money to start a new life... well another new life.

When she landed on Vegetasei over a year ago, Bulma thought it would be for a few days at most. She planned to refuel and restock her ship, then continue her exploratory mission finding advanced alien technologies for her family's company, Capsule Corp.

As the vice president, Bulma had spent much of her time on Earth building spacecrafts or schmoozing investors. So she jumped at the opportunity to man a ship that would explore the far reaches of the galaxy. She was thankful that she never stayed behind a desk for too long, because her practical, mechanical talents came in handy when her stay on Vegetasei was forcibly extended.

The day she realized her ship had been high jacked by pirates was almost as bad as the day she had found out about the Earth's fate.

She was shopping in the marketplace when her attention was drawn to a large advertisement screen. The Planet Trade Organization was selling a freshly purged planet rich in water and valuable minerals. Her heart sank as the ad described its location, third planet from it's system's sun. But it wasn't until the screen flashed an unmistakable picture of Earth that Bulma felt her whole world shatter. Everyone she knew back home was dead.

Even with no one to return to, Bulma was dead set on escaping Vegetasei and the terrible memories she had made there. She was a genius and a businesswoman, so she began repairing ships for money so that she could eventually build her own.

It wasn't until she met Vegeta that her opinion of Vegetasei had changed. The adventures he took her on, the stories he shared, and the way the prince spoke about his home planet made her see it in a whole new light. Bulma began wondering if she could actually be happy here... well probably not anymore, not without him at least. Vegeta. Since they met it seemed her thoughts always drifted to him.

Only now instead of butterflies, her stomach felt empty. Like she might never feel whole again without him. Bulma scoffed at feelings, she had never been this sentimental over her past relationships. She prided herself on being an independent woman, her true love was science! But every time she tried to convince herself of that truth, there was a nagging sensation in her heart.

Bulma needed to get away from Vegetasei and the constant reminders of the prince.

' _You should leave. And the sooner the better_ ,' Bulma recalled Vegeta's harsh words but found herself agreeing with them.

She decided in that moment she would accept the stranger's mission, so she could get off this planet as soon as possible. Bulma began packing up her belongings and preparing for the stranger's arrival tomorrow.

In the afternoon the following day, Paragus returned to the blue haired woman's shop, to find her standing outside waiting for him. "I take it you've made up your mind," he said to her without greeting.

Bulma pushed off the wall she had been leaning on and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Shall we?" she asked as she approached him and the man gave her a satisfied smirk. "I'm going to need a full debrief before I leave though."

"Of course," Paragus replied as he began walking away from the garage with Bulma in tow. "You be going to Namek, a little green planet in a neighboring system." Bulma had heard of Namek before, it was on her list of places to explore during her original Capsule Corp sponsored mission. She attempted to recall her old research, but all she could remember was the native species was green skinned and they were very protective of their seemingly mystic folklore.

"There, they have seven treasures the natives call dragon balls, which are scattered across the planet. It will be your job to collect them and bring them back to me," Paragus informed her.

If this guy was willing to spend half a million credits on these bad boys they must be insanely valuable. The mission sounded simply enough, but Bulma worried there was something she was missing. The Namekians seemed peaceful, but would she encounter other dangers, possibly other treasure hunters? The blue haired girl rattled through several possible scenarios and how she would neutralize the possible risks as Paragus lead her to the spacecraft she would be using.

"The roundtrip to Namek should take approximately three days, with a week to collect the dragon balls, I expect to see you back here in 10 days," Paragus informed her as she walked aboard the ship.

"What!" Bulma paused turned over her shoulder, "That only gives me a day per treasure!"

"You're a smart girl, I'm sure you'll figure it out," he replied with a smirk as he closed the hatch behind her. With a sigh, she made her way to the pilot's chair, strapped herself in and engaged the launch sequence. ' _Well I guess there's no time to lose_ ,' Bulma thought, suddenly the challenge excited her.

The spacecraft shook as the thrusters burst to life, with only a moment of turbulence the ship had breached the planet's atmosphere. Bulma watched out the window as Vegetasei shrank into a little red marble surrounded by the endless darkness of outer space. She thought she would feel a small victory or at least some relief when she finally left that hell hole, but instead she just felt sad.


	7. Chapter 7

The trip to Namek was an uneventful 36 hours, but Bulma found herself soothed by the familiar star speckled blackness outside the windows of her ship. Though many found the endless darkness of outer space daunting, she found solace in its quiet simplicity. Bulma spent much of her journey to Namek, staring out at the passing celestial objects and willing her unwanted feelings away.

After a smooth entry into the planet's dense atmosphere, Bulma landed her ship in a small pass in the hilly terrain. She pressed a few buttons and checked the atmosphere for breathability before she packed her belongings. The blue haired mechanic smiled as she squeezed a small capsule in her hand, a forgotten relic from her life on Earth. She steeled herself one last time and finally disembarked the ship.

Bulma was greeted by the strong fragrance of the native foliage. The landscape was particularly rich in grass and tall trees, but instead of green like Earth, the Namekian flora sported a more turquoise hue. The chemicals in the atmosphere resulted in a pale green sky, unlike anything Bulma had ever seen.

She stood for a moment and allowed herself to take in all of her surroundings, she appreciated their beauty but also that it seemed to be the complete opposite of Vegetasei.

Well, maybe not the complete opposite, as Bulma had only been standing outside of her ship for a few minutes before she began to feel sweaty. The heat on Namek was different than the desert capitol of Vegetasei, it was incredibly humid which is likely what encouraged so much plant growth.

Bulma scoffed at the thick, wet air before removing her jacket and tying it around her waist. She fished the capsule out of her pant pocket and pressed the top button before tossing it. After a pop and puff of smoke, Bulma's old hover bike materialized.

A small smile tugged at her lips at the nostalgia, it felt like ages since she last rode it. Bulma tossed one leg over to straddle the seat and checked her gauges. With one last peek back to make sure her ship was secure, she set off racing to locate these mysterious dragon balls.

With little to no background knowledge about the treasures, Bulma was really winging it, when it came to her strategy for locating them. With only week to collect all seven, she really needed to hustle.

Her first thought was that she would find civilization, then maybe ask the locals where to find them. Bulma imagined with how valuable Paragus made the dragon balls seem, the locals must often field questions about them.

The wind whipped through her hair as she jetted off to the east, thinking she had seen a little village when she had first come in to land. After about thirty minutes, Bulma saw several white, dome shaped buildings on the horizon. She smiled, the architecture was vaguely reminiscent of Capsule Corp.

As she neared the village, Bulma noticed the green people mulling about their daily lives. She parked and recapsulized her hover bike, several yards from the town's edge. Opting to walk over instead of blowing through on her alien contraption. She approached a tall man who didn't appear busy.

"Hi I was wondering if you could tell me where I might find a dragon ball?" she inquired politely. Bulma heard that the Namekains tended to be a peaceful bunch and thought a courteous approach would be best.

"Ahh another seeker," the man smiled, "Let me see if the elder has time for an audience with you." He turned and walked away, but Bulma wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow. He looked over his shoulder, so she took that as her cue and jogged to catch up with him.

"Are you familiar with the traditions?" he asked.

"Could you remind me?" Bulma replied, feigning some background knowledge.

"Each of the dragon balls are protected by an entire village, and when a seeker arrives, they must be granted approval from the village elder to take it." Bulma nodded at the information, this was actually amazing news! If all the treasures were located in the villages than they would be much easier to find and there would be no deep sea diving or impromptu spelunking.

"How do you get the elder's approval? Is there something I need to say? Do? Bring?" Bulma rattled off her questions eagerly, but the man just laughed.

"No, you don't need to do anything special. The elder will look into your heart and he will decide." She furrowed her brow at that. It seemed as though all the natives were men, Bulma thought she was going to be able to use her charms to get her way, now she wasn't so sure if that would pan out.

"What do you mean look into my heart?" she questioned confusedly.

"We only want those who are worthy, those with pure hearts and good intentions to have the dragon balls. As I'm sure you can imagine we have a great number of seekers come to our planet in hopes of obtaining them. Us Namekians have the ability to sense energy, and the village elders spend a great deal of time honing this skill so that they may look even deeper, so that they may read the seekers and decide who is worthy. "

Bulma blinked in surprise, being able to read one's energy wasn't a completely foreign concept to her, but fine tuning it so greatly to read other's intentions must take years and years of concentrated practice. She nodded at the man as they continued walking.

' _You are uniquely qualified to get them for me_.' Paragus's words echoed in Bulma's mind. He must have already tried to collect the dragon balls but the Nameks wouldn't hand them over. Bulma did think he came off a bit shady, but he must've been turned away for the darkness in his heart. She began to wonder what his intentions for the treasures could possibly be, when the pair entered one of the largest dome houses in the village.

She dismissed her musings about the morality of her mission as her escort introduced her to an especially wrinkly Namekian sitting in a throne like chair. Bulma bowed respectfully to the elder as he welcomed her.

"Come in," the elder said in a raspy voice, he outstretched his hand for Bulma to take. She stepped closer to him and set her small hand in his before his other covered hers.

"So you are here for the dragon ball?" he asked and Bulma nodded in the affirmative. "Very well." He closed his eyes as he squeezed her hand between his. If felt like an eternity as Bulma stood there waiting for the elder to say something.

He began to give small nods, "yes, yes, I see," he said to know one in particular. "There seems to be something weighing heavily on your heart, but it is pure nonetheless."

Bulma smiled brightly in response, paying most attention to the latter part of his statement. "You may have the dragon ball," the elder spoke, much to Bulma's excitement. "Please retrieve it for her." The man who had escorted her to the elder's home walked behind him and Bulma's gaze followed him.

He approached a lone pedestal, atop a red velvet pillow sat a translucent orange orb the size of a bowling ball and in the center were three red stars. The orb reflected the light in the room, and Bulma found herself fixated on its odd beauty. She wondered if it was made of some special jewel, if the Nameks had crafted them, and how long something like that must've taken.

Then Bulma's practical side realized she would have sacrifice her hover bike's capsule to hold the dragon balls as she collected them, as their was no other place to put such large balls. He brought the dragon ball over to Bulma and placed it in her hands.

"How many is that for you?" the elder questioned.

"Actually it's my first," she replied honestly as she marveled at the breathtaking treasure. "I could use some help, if you could point me in the direction of the next village."

"I would be happy to assist you in your quest, young miss," Bulma heard a voice from behind her say. She turned but then had to look down at the small Namekian standing behind her. He looked like he was a child! And as sweet as the offer was, Bulma wasn't trying to babysit some kid.

"Hi, sorry, what's your name?"

"My name is Dende."

"Well, Dende," Bulma began softly, "I so appreciate you wanting to help me, but I think you may be a little young for this journey." Dende frowned at this.

"Miss, I know I am young, but I'm eager for adventure, I have forty years of experience navigating this planet. I'm sure I could be of use to you!" Dende replied earnestly. Bulma furrowed her brow in confusion, there was no way this pipsqueak was nearly twice her age.

"If you're 40 years old, how old is the elder of your village?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"Our elder is actually quite young for his post, he is only 563 years old," Dende informed her, "the majority of village elders are over 800, but the most wise elder in all of Namek, Guru, he is 2000 years old!" Bulma's eyes bulged in surprise, but after she realized with all this information he seemed to know this little guy could be an asset, so she relented, "alright Dende, you can come!"

She brought her newly claimed dragon ball outside and decapsulized her hover bike and put the treasure on to the ground before putting into the capsule. The natives watched her as if she was doing some sort of sorcery.

"Hop on!" she called to Dende as she mounted her bike. They gave their thanks and farewells to the helpful Namekians before Dende tentatively got on. He held tightly as she zipped out of the village and on to the next.

Days later, it was dark after the retrieval of their third dragon ball, so the villagers invited them to stay. Bulma and Dende laid on adjacent floor mats in someone's guest house. Bulma stared at the ceiling in the dark room, deep in thought.

Collecting the dragon balls had proved simple enough, with Dende's help she was on pace to get all of them by the deadline Paragus set. But each village elder would say something to her that would give her pause, they spoke in vague terms, their message wrapped in a riddle that confused her.

"What do you think the elder meant when he said there is a heaviness in your heart?" Dende asked quietly, Bulma hadn't even realized he was still awake. He, too, must have been puzzling together what the elders had said.

"I couldn't say for sure, but I guess I have a few theories." Dende didn't reply, waiting for her to elaborate.

"I think I had a lot of unresolved feelings from when my planet was destroyed. I have to remind myself that there's nothing that I could have done even if I was there, but I still harbor some survivor's guilt." She sighed before she continued, "more recently, I had a falling out with a man that I realized I'm in love with. And that, that was something I could do something about and didn't. Now I'm being forced to move on and I don't know that I can or want to."

Dende opened his mouth to speak, but Bulma spoke over him. "And I worry that I'm here for all the wrong reasons, I don't know if I deserve the treasures, I don't think my heart's pure!"

He could tell by the way her voice cracked and the sniffles that followed that Bulma was now crying. "Well, I don't know much about romantic love, but who says it's too late for you do something about it. And the elders have been in unanimous decision that you are worthy of the dragon balls so you shouldn't fret," Dende attempted to comfort her, "you should get some rest."

Bulma hummed in agreement before she rolled over and wrapped herself up into her blanket. She considered whether or not her plan to run away from her feelings for Vegeta was still the best plan. But the terms of her mission stated that she wasn't to return to Vegetasei and what if he rejected her. Could she really handle having him break her heart twice?


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't long before Bulma and Dende reached the seventh village where the final dragon ball remained. Unlike the others, this village seemed to have more hills and mountains around it. On the far edge of the village was a high plateau, where a large dome shaped home looked over the others.

"That's where Guru lives," Dende informed Bulma with a point as they approached the village on her hover bike. Bulma was curious to meet this grand elder, especially because she never imagine she would meet a being that was 2000 years old.

As the pair navigated the village, many of the locals seemed especially friendly, wishing them luck. Apparently news had traveled that a seeker was close to collecting all the dragon balls. A feat that was very rare even for the Namekians to witness.

Once they reached the foot of the plateau, Bulma stared up realizing that it was a lot higher than she originally anticipated. Dende waved her over to a path that appeared to spiral up the cliffside to the top. She sighed noticing how steep the trail was, but it was also too narrow to safely ride her hover bike.

They began the trek up to Guru's home, half way up Bulma was huffing and puffing. ' _This damn humidity,_ ' she grumbled internally as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Dende turned around and noticed her struggle, "would you like me to carry you?"

Bulma really considered it for a moment, but then decided it would be selfish to make this tiny man carry her up this steep path. "Ehh," she began, ready to deny his offer, when he grabbed her by the hand. "Really! Its no trouble!"

Then Dende began to fly straight up and Bulma instinctively tightened her grip on his little green hand and let out a surprised yelp. It was only a few moments before they reached the peak and they were back on safe ground. Once Bulma found her bearings, she looked at Guru's house then back at Dende, "Why didn't we do that from the beginning!"

Dende shrugged before he walk toward Guru's house they were greeted by a strong looking man that welcomed them in. Bulma's eyes widened when she stepped inside and found a huge, wrinkly Namekian sitting on a white throne with two spikes. ' _This huge dude definitely looks like he's lived two millennia and he has seen some shit_.'

"Hello Guru," Bulma said as she advanced toward the grand elder, "its an honor to meet you. My name is Bulma, and I'm here for your dragon ball."

"Of course you are," he smiled as he beckoned her to come closer. Bulma held out her hand for him to take as she had with all the other elders, but instead Guru placed his large hand on the top of her head. He closed his eyes and nodded as he read her energy.

"Tell me what burdens your heart, my child," Guru commanded softly. Bulma was surprised, she knew by now that whatever it was the Namekian elders were doing they could sense the aching in her chest, but none so far had asked her to explain it.

"The story is no good, really. Don't worry about!" she attempted to dodge his question, even adding a fake laugh. But the wise elder just continued to stare at her, suddenly making her nervous. "Its just a boy, ok?" she finally replied.

"Ahh true love is this life's greatest gift. Do you love this boy, young Bulma?" Guru asked.

"Well.. I mean, I don't know," Bulma said nervously and began looking around the room anxiously. When she met eyes with Dende, he gave her a knowing look and Bulma cringed. "Yes, Guru, I do. Like a lot. Like so much it hurts."

"So what is the problem?" the elder inquired.

"The last time I saw him, he basically said 'get lost', so there's that," Bulma shrugged with false casualness. To be honest, her heart was still aching from his cruel words the last time she saw him, but she knew he only said them because she hurt him first.

"And why do you think he would say such a thing?" Guru questioned.

"Well, I really think he was just trying to beat me to the punchline. He found out that I was planning to leave his planet, so he told me to go."

"Why would you leave him, if you love him the way you claim to?"

"Its more complicated than that!" Bulma defended in exasperation. "It doesn't matter how much I love him, we can't be together. He's the prince, you see, and his father won't let him be with me because I'm not a Saiyan elite or a royal."

"Is that why you've come to seek the dragon balls? Are you going to use them to forget your love and the heartbreak he caused or will you use the wish to remove the obstacles that prevent you from being together?" The great elder's question gave Bulma pause.

"Wish?" Bulma whispered to herself, no wonder Paragus wanted these treasures so badly. They're not mere collector's items they're wish orbs.

"I don't know, sir. I wasn't collecting the balls for myself, you see. I was supposed to bring them to someone," Bulma informed the elder, her tone laced with uncertainty.

"Oh no, no! That will not do. Each village elder only gives their dragon ball to a seeker who is worthy, you cannot simply give it away," Guru replied.

Now that she can't bring the dragon balls to Paragus, she could just wish for the things he promised her, then continue on with her original plan. What about Vegeta? Or maybe a better questions was what was Paragus going to wish for? Surely the Nameks found his intentions unworthy. Was he more dangerous than she originally thought?

Bulma's musings were interrupted when Guru spoke again, "If you are ready, young Dende can summon Porunga for you to make your wish."

"I don't know what I want yet!" Bulma cried anxiously, she felt so much pressure all the sudden. Would it be okay to make a totally selfish wish? Would the Namekians judge her?

"I think your heart knows, what you truly desire," Guru said in a soothing voice. Bulma took a deep breath and calmed her mind, he was right, she knew exactly what she wanted.

* * *

Vegeta pouted as he lounged on the plush couch of one of the royal sitting rooms. These meetings his father had set up with foreign princesses had proved to be more tedious than they were entertaining. Everyday for the last week he had be forced to dress up in his royal armor and have awkward small talk with these women.

All of them were very beautiful as his father had promised, but if they weren't completely dull then they were just plain idiots. He wasn't sure if he should be insulted that this is what the king and his royal advisors imagined would make a suitable mate for him.

He thought at the very least these meetings would serve as a distraction from his heartbreak, but instead he found himself comparing all the women to Bulma. He frowned at himself, he really needed to get her out of his head, she was never coming back. She left him and that was that.

Vegeta stood up as one of the guards entered the room, and announced his latest meeting. The princess entered and gave him a demure smile while she tucked a strand of her long red hair behind her ear. She sat down on the couch opposite to him, in between them was a low table with a spread of cheese, meats, and fruits. There was also a bottle of fine wine, but Vegeta tended to dismiss his guest before it ever got that far.

They introduced themselves and talked for a while as per usual, but Vegeta found this princess to be overly agreeable. Everything he said he liked, she seemed to like that too. Every question about her own opinions was deflected with a compliment for him or with the same question, so that she could then say his answer was also hers. The prince couldn't help the sarcastic remark escaped his lips after the fifth time she agreed with him.

She just stared at him blankly with her dark brown eyes, and he worried for a moment that he offended her. "It was a joke," he stated awkwardly, then out of the blue she began laughing obnoxiously. The prince's eyes widen, surprised by her exaggerated outburst. When her laughter persisted, he mumbled, "okay, it wasn't that funny."

At that she immediately stopped laughing, and just stared at him again with her small smile. Ok, yeah no, this girl was not for him. He couldn't do brainless. Vegeta nodded to the guard who waited by the door and told the princess sitting opposite him that she was dismissed. She looked genuinely sad, but of course, she didn't protest.

Once she was gone, the prince looked over to the guard standing near the door, "that was weird though, right?" he asked for validation. The guard stifled a snicker and shook his head.

It wasn't long after that the next princess was escorted in. Her tight dress showed off her long legs and was much more revealing than anything the others had wore. Instead of sitting on the couch opposite to him, she strolled up to him with a sultry, slow walk. Her eyes were half lidded and mischievous when she gave him light push so he would sit down.

Vegeta's eyebrows raised in surprise when she got onto his lap and straddled him, instinctively his hands rested on her hips. When she started kissing up his neck, the prince's eyes slid over to the guard at the door who had turned around so his back was facing them. "Make me your princess and you can do _anything_ you want to me," she husked her sinful promise before nipping him on the earlobe.

He couldn't believe her forwardness, she clearly was not taking the same royal behavioral lessons he was subjected to. There was something about her tactic that reeked of desperation, and he found himself extremely suspicious of her motives.

"Hey, hey, why don't we get to know each other a little?"

"What do you want to know?" she said in a silky voice, finally ceasing her assault on his neck.

"What's your planet like? Or your family? How many siblings do you have?"

"My planet? Well it's far from our star so it's dark and very cold, but I like it here where its nice and _hot_." She leaned in close as she spoke trying to put her ample cleavage in his face, putting extra emphasis on her last words. He had to give her credit, very few would think to make a conservation about planetary climate sexual.

"My family is fine, I'm the youngest of thirteen."

 _And there is was_. Her entire family would have to die before she got a chance at the crown on her own planet, and she thought she could wriggle her way onto the throne of his kingdom with her cheap seduction.

"Your desperation bores me," Vegeta said tiredly as he stood and tossed her onto the couch. "You can go." She stared up at him wide eyed and offended, but he just gestured toward the door. With a huff she stomped out the door and the prince plopped back onto the couch.

"How many more today?" Vegeta asked the guard at the door.

"Just one."

"Fine, send her in," the prince sighed, his voice bordering on annoyance.

The final princess walked in and sat down. She was arguably the most beautiful of all the princesses of that day she had light pink skin and curly white hair, but when he greeted her she didn't reply.

"Hello? I said what's your name." he repeated, tilting his head in confusion. Again, she just stared right back at him with a smile on her face. The prince turned to his guard, who approached him in a few quick strides.

"Sire, I do believe she does not understand the Saiyan tongue. She can only speak the language native to her own planet," the guard whispered to Vegeta and the prince growled in response.

Vegeta stood abruptly and stormed out of the room a little more than peeved. Did his father really try to set him up with a woman who wasn't able to talk to him? What was she supposed to him if they could never form a bond beyond anything physical? Was she just supposed to be some pretty little trophy he could fuck in his free time? How unoriginal.

The prince barged into his father's office. "You've got to be kidding me, right?"

"Excuse you! How dare you barge into the King's private chambers unannounced!" King Vegeta admonished.

"How dare me? How dare you set me up with all these women who are completely unfit to be my mate, let alone the next queen of Vegetasei! Do you even know me at all!" Vegeta was fuming when a guard came in the door the prince had left open and interrupted.

"Excuse me, sires. Another princess has arrived, apparently she heard of what you were doing and came to meet the Prince." Vegeta glared at his father, who rolled his eyes at him like he was a petulant child.

"Well, if you don't imagine we will have any success finding you a mate this way than we can stop, but at least see the girl whose already here," the king said calmly.

Once the prince stomped away, the guard who interrupted them gave his king a respectful bow and closed the door behind him. The king sighed, he was all too familiar with his son's temper and could understand his frustrations, but he had yet to break it to his son that when you're a royal, marriage doesn't always come with love.

The prince had been born with an astronomical level of latent power, and it was even prophesied that he would be the first in many generations to achieve the legendary status of Super Saiyan. As such, all those around him doted on him (especially his late mother) and treated him as though he were even more special than the average prince.

The King tried to give him the tough love Vegeta needed to keep his head on straight and eventually become the great king he was destined to be, but being adored his entire life for his power, the prince believed he was entitled to the love of his would-be queen. He wanted his son to understand that an amicable relationship with one's partner was still a win.

When the prince returned the the royal sitting room the (actual) final princess of the day was already seated. The dress she wore was simple yet elegant, her long wavy blue hair cascaded over her bare shoulders. He frowned slightly when he realized it reminded him of _her._ The most odd thing about this final princess was that she was also wore a veil that concealed her face, Vegeta found himself immediately suspicious that she was hiding something.

"Aren't you going to take off that veil?" he asked, unable to hide the residual irritation in his tone.

"Why?" she shot back, "Are you only interested in a woman for her beauty?"

Vegeta was taken aback by her brashness and definitely didn't like that she insinuated he was shallow, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was terribly disfigured or something. Even if that was the case, this was the first of the foreign princesses to even have a little bite. He was was intrigued at the very least. "By all means, leave it on."

She spoke to him with an odd familiarity that soothed his anger. This princess was obviously well researched as she didn't start off with the most basic of questions, instead jumping into conversation that progressed organically.

"Where is your planet?" he asked after some time. She hadn't been very forthcoming about the details of her own life.

"Well, it was in a galaxy about two light years from here, but it's not there anymore it was destroyed." Planets being purged it this universe was not uncommon, and if her power level was any indication of her people, they must have been a weak species.

"So you're a princess with no people then?"

"It would appear so," she answered plainly, as if she had already come to terms with that fact.

"Why come to Vegetasei?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I heard the prince, I mean climate, was super hot," she replied, "I like the desert." Vegeta couldn't help the smirk that found its way to his lips. She was much more interesting than the others. All the princesses Vegeta had been introduced to thus far in his father's ridiculous meetings had been a far cry from Bulma, but this girl was strikingly similar. Her wit, her ocean blue locks, and the inexplicable way her presence calmed him.

The prince felt his heart clench in his chest at the sudden but faint glimmer of hope. It couldn't possible be her, could it?


	9. Chapter 9

Vegeta watched the veiled princess continue to speak animatedly, but he couldn't hear what she was saying anymore. All his thoughts were consumed by what was hidden underneath that little piece of fabric.

It wasn't Bulma, how could it be? Her hair was definitely the same beautiful shade of blue. Even her voice was the same, or at least similar. Was it though? Was his mind playing tricks on him? Was his hopeful heart deceiving him?

She stopped talking all of the sudden and Vegeta realized it was because he had stood up. The room fell silent and his heart pounded in his chest. He needed to know, and he needed to know _now_. The princess appeared scared or nervous (he couldn't tell) as he approached the couch, and sat down right next to her.

"Wha-what are you doing?" she stuttered, the uncertainty evident in her voice. The prince didn't reply, instead capturing both her hands in one of his so she couldn't stop him. She tried to squirm but he just tightened his grip. His other hand reached up to her face to remove the veil, only halting when he heard her plead, "please, stop."

"I have to know," he whispered poignantly. His hand continued its accent and lifted the veil to reveal two big blue eyes brimming with tears. She looked so scared, so uncertain of how he might react. They stared at each other in silence for several tense moments.

"Bulma?" he asked, as if confirming this was in fact reality.

"Vegeta, I'm so sorry," she cried, "I wasn't trying to trick you! I just didn't know if you'd ever want to see me again!"

"You came back?" Vegeta was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he had been sitting across from Bulma for the last hour. Now that he knew, it seemed so obvious. The curves of her body, her scent, her mannerisms were so Bulma, he felt foolish for not realizing it sooner.

"I was just being a coward, I'm sorry! I love you too! I want us to be together, I was just so worried that your father would never approve of us." Bulma continued her exacerbated rambling.

"But you're a princess!" he interjected. Vegeta was confused as to why she hadn't mentioned this before. She had eluded to living a life of luxury on her home world but being royalty changed things for them, made things easier.

Why would she hide such an important piece of her identity from him? Did she want him to like her for more than just her title? That was a desire he understood, even more so after his week of meeting the foreign princesses.

"Well now I am," she shrugged. Vegeta didn't quite understand what she meant by that but he was too happy to question it at the moment. He reached up and brushed away her tears with a gloved thumb.

"Princess or not, I've always wanted to be with you," he declared confidently and Bulma let out a contented sigh as she rested her face in his palm.

"I feel silly for how much I missed you," she whispered to him. He leaned and captured her lips with his own to express he felt the exact same way. Bulma melted into his passionate kiss, wondering why she ever thought she should leave him. Since the Earth's destruction it sometimes felt impossible to feel grounded or truly secure, but being with Vegeta felt like home.

Bulma let out an unhappy groan as Vegeta pulled away sooner than she would've liked. "I need to tell my father that you've returned, and I'm not interested in courting anyone else."

"Let's go," the prince stood and took Bulma's hand in his own to lead her out of the room. They walked down the corridor together, smiling and giddy to be reunited. But in the pit of her stomach, Bulma was nervous that her newfound royalty still wouldn't be enough to garner the king's blessing.

Vegeta thought he would check his father's office first but halted when he saw that the throne room door was slightly ajar. He lead Bulma into the throne room, thinking his father might be in there as that was where he did much of his thinking.

"Father?" Vegeta called as they walked into the long narrow room. A plush rug led from the door to the king's ornate throne, that sat two stairs up and in front of three tall windows. The sun was setting and cast shadows into the empty room. One of two shaded figures emerged into the light.

"Oh Paragus, its you. Have you seen the King recently?"

Bulma blanched when she heard that name fall from the prince's lips. She was so consumed with Vegeta's possible reaction to her return, she hadn't given much thought the inevitable confrontation with Paragus.

It was a split second between Paragus acknowledging Vegeta's intrusion to his gaze shifting to Bulma. Enraged at her return sans his dragon balls, Paragus dashed towards the couple catching the prince completely by surprise. Vegeta's eyes widened as he tackled Bulma grabbing her by the throat and calling her a 'conniving little bitch'.

The prince hadn't realized his tail was anxiously thrashing behind him in frustration until he felt a sharp, paralyzing pain shoot through his entire body from the base of his spine. Every muscle was impossibly stiff, but Vegeta willed himself to look over his shoulder to see who would dare grab his tail.

He was surprised to find the other hidden figure was one of the lowly assistants to the royal advisory, likely a minion of Paragus. The man was familiar, but Vegeta couldn't recall his name. Not that it mattered, he was as good as dead once Vegeta regained mobility.

"This is treason," the prince growled at his captor, who laughed in return which only irked Vegeta further.

"Its nothing personal, Prince, but once Paragus becomes king you'll be irrelevant."

"I'm going to rip your traitorous throat out," Vegeta threatened. This idiot was gambling his life on lies, Paragus would never become king. The only way for someone outside the royal family to ascend the throne would be to challenge the current heir to a fight to the death. Vegeta, being the most powerful Saiyan born in several generations, had no challengers. The thought of Paragus challenging him was laughable, he would destroy that pitiful backstabber.

Bulma shrieked and Vegeta was brought out of his thoughts and his attention returned to Paragus who had a tight grip on a squirming Bulma and was yelling in her ear. "You fucking thief, you'll pay for stealing my wish. Shall we murder your prince in front of you, or shall I have one of my men defile you while he watches."

Bulma scrunched her eyes closed at Paragus's cruelty, his tone told her he wasn't exaggerating. She was about to suffer one way or the other. When she opened her eyes they were filled with tears and she locked her gaze with Vegeta. Bulma mouthed 'I'm sorry' and it broke his heart.

Vegeta was shocked by what he was hearing, Paragus had been loyal to the crown Vegeta's entire life what would motive him to act like this? What could he possibly have against Bulma?

The prince was ashamed that he was rendered helpless by someone grabbing his tail, he always had in wrapped securely around his waist to prevent such a thing. He was such an idiot for letting this happen! No, he couldn't let this happen.

"Let her go, Paragus!" Vegeta shouted, "If you want to challenge me for the throne, I'm ready!"

Paragus barked out a laugh, before tossing Bulma on to the ground. "Stay down!" he sneered at her huddled form. The fear stricken girl obeyed, staying on the ground, but brought her hand to cover her mouth as Paragus approached her paralyzed prince. Tears streamed down her face as she worried what he might do.

Paragus lifted Vegeta's head with two fingers underneath his chin, so that the prince was forced to make eye contact with him. "You arrogant, little fool."

Vegeta remained stoned faced at the insult, not giving into such cheap bait. "I'm not going to challenge you. I was going to take what should've belonged to my family using the wish granting orbs known as dragon balls, but that cunt," he pointed at Bulma, "stole my wish from me. And someone here is going to pay."

 _"But you're a princess!"_

 _"Well now I am."_

Vegeta recalled his earlier conversation with Bulma, and it began to make sense. Paragus was going to wish himself to be king, but she had used them to become a princess instead… so that she could return to him. Vegeta's heart ached at the thought.

"What makes you think you deserve the throne! I am the rightful heir of Vegetasei. You may be an elite born, but your power is still no match for me," Vegeta argued. The prince's head lurched to the side as a powerful slap crossed his face.

"You think you're so high and mighty, don't you Prince?" Paragus mocked. "But you're just as insolent and undeserving as your father." Vegeta let out a feral growl, he wanted to swing at this traitor but his body refused to move.

"You see Prince Vegeta, you were _not_ the strongest Saiyan born in recent history, my son, Broly, was." Vegeta's eye twitched, this had to have been a lie, Paragus didn't even have a son. "You father was so jealous that Broly was stronger than you that he murdered him! My newborn son! My pride and joy!"

Vegeta blinked in disbelief, but he could hear the desperation in Paragus's voice. He didn't want to believe that his father would kill an innocent baby, but mostly he didn't want to doubt his own strength. Vegeta's entire self image was based on his power.

"Your father knew Broly could challenge you for the throne, and he would win! My family deserves the throne! You're just a spoiled brat!" Paragus was growing more emotional, his words coming out like a tantrum. Vegeta's head hung low, his cheek still stinging from being slapped, and his seemingly infallible pride had taken a significant blow.

The prince lifted his head as he heard Bulma inhale sharply, but was immediately forced to close his eyes as hot blood sprayed his face. When he opened his eyes again, Vegeta saw Paragus's face droop with lifelessness and red stained hand through the center of his chest holding his heart. When his body fell over dead, behind him stood the king, who threw the mangled heart at Paragus's body.

The feeling began to return to Vegeta's body as Paragus's minion released his tail and began scrambling backwards in abject horror. The King looked at Vegeta and then nodded to the escaping minion, the prince quickly flashed toward him and ripped out his traitorous throat (as promised).

"You know, son, its embarrassing that someone your age let an enemy get a hold of your tail," the King teased as if this was some kind of training exercise and not that he almost was just executed by a longtime royal advisor. Vegeta just shook his head, and an unsteady Bulma caught his eye as she stood.

He rushed to her side with concern filling her eyes. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry, I didn't know this would happen."

Bulma frowned as she attempted to regain her composure after having witnessed two brutal murders, the evidence of one still splattered across her lover's face. "No I'm sorry, I should've guessed something like this would have happened. It was my fault for stealing his wish."

"Well if you hadn't taken the wish for yourself, we'd likely be in a much worse situation," King Vegeta chimed in and Bulma nodded. The king turned around to exit the room, but Vegeta cleared his throat to regain his attention. "Sir?" The king turned back around to face the couple, he arms crossed over his chest, and an eyebrow raised.

"I don't want you to arrange any more meetings with foreign princesses," he began firmly. "I'll be exclusively courting Bulma," he put his arm around her in solidarity, "Princess of Earth."

The king's eyes roved over Bulma, but his face remained expressionless. "Very well then," he sighed in defeat. He supposed she wasn't a terrible match for his son, and if she can double cross a Saiyan elite and live to tell the tale, she may be tough enough yet.

Bulma smiled, satisfied with the king's long awaited acquiescence. Vegeta excitedly leaned in to kiss her, but she lurched her head back. "There's blood all over your face," she replied to his look of confusion. "Oh yeah."

"Someone go clean up the corpses in the throne room," they heard the king holler in the corridor. Bulma couldn't help but laugh at the sheer ridiculousness, this is not what she imagined her life would be. The prince grabbed her by the hand and started back to his room.

"Let's get cleaned up and then we can properly _celebrate_ your return," Vegeta said suggestively, Bulma just giggled and followed him back to his chambers. Her heart felt so full just being in his presence, but she knew she needed to be honest with him. She planned to tell him everything about the arrangement with Paragus, her time on Namek, and the dragon balls but she decided to start with her wish.

"Just an FYI, Earth never even had a planetary monarchy… soo… It's kind of an empty title," Bulma informed him in hushed tones.

"No matter, we'll just get you a new title," Vegeta replied looking over his shoulder with a smirk. "How does Princess of Vegetasei sound to you?"

~FIN~


End file.
